Endless track vehicle



April 13 1926..

A. T. DAWSON El AL ENDLESS TRACK VEHICLE Filed April 18 1925 Patented Apr. 13, 1926.

UNITED STATES ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON AND GEORGE THOMAS BUCKHAM, OF WESTMINSTER,-

PATENT OFFICE.

, LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS TO VICKERS, LIMITED, OF WESTMINSTER, ENG- LAND, A BRITISH COMAPNY.

ENDLESS TRACK VEHICLE.

Application filed April 18, 1925. Serial No. 24,023.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON and GEORGE THOMAS BUOKI-IAIM, both subjects of the King of Great Britain, residing at Vickers House, Broadway, Westminster, in the county of London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Endless Track Vehicles (an application for wh1ch was filed in v(arreatBritain on April 1st, 1924, Serial No. 8,257), of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to endless track vehicles. In a known form of such vehicles the tracks are composed of shoes which are pivoted together at their ends w1th the result that as each supporting wheel or roller passes from one shoe tothe next, each shoe In turn is rockedior-oscillate'd and undue wear on the pivot pins and their bearings thus takes place.

According to the present mventron the tracks comprise a system of pivoted llllkS on which the supporting wheels or rollers bear and to the pivot pins of which the shoes are freely pivoted in such a manner that, when the shoes are in contact with the ground, the axes of the pivot pins are more or less immediately above the middle portions of the surfaces of the shoes. The pressure of a supportin wheel or roller is thus distributed between t e shoes and the above-mentioned rocking of the shoes is thereby avoided. The portions of the shoes through which the ends of the pivot pins pass are preferably in the form of bosses so shaped and arranged as to constitute driving pro ections for engagement by the sprocket wheels for driving the tracks. 1

When the track is intended for use with pairs of laterally separated supporting wheels or rollers it is composed of alternate inner single and outer double links of which the latter are situated laterally apart at a distance corresponding to the lateral separation of the su porting wheels or rollers, whilst the inner inks are formed with laterally projecting flanges the upper surfaces of which constitute continuations of the upper surfaces of the outer links and are also formed with, 'substan'tiall plates or flanges situated etween the paths vertical thrust,

of the supporting wheels or rollers so that the said thrust plates take the lateral thrust of the said wheels or rollers during turning movements of the vehicle.

In order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, the same will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which v Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section, showing a track constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is an inner plan of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a section taken approximately on the line 3, 3 of Figure 2.

The track shown is for use with pairs of laterally separated supporting wheels or rollers and is composed of alternate inner single links A, A and outer double links B, B The outer links are situated laterally apart at a distance corresponding to the lateral separation of the supporting wheels or rollers and each of the inner links has two laterally projecting flanges A A the inner surface of which form continuations Of the inner surfaces of the outer links. The said inner links also have substantially vertical thrust lates or flanges A A situated betweenvt epaths of the supporting wheels or rollers so that the said thrust plates take the lateral thrust of the said wheels or rollers during turning movements of the'vehicle. The thrust plates of each link are preferably cross-connected by webs A, A for stiffening purposes so as to more effectively resist the side thrust. The pivot pins C, C connecting thelinkstogether pass through bearings in the inner links A, A (these hearings extending the whole width of these links) and through holes in the outer links B, B the outer links preferably forming a tight fit with the pivot pins. These pins pro ect laterally beyond the outer links and fit loosely in bosses D, D on the shoes D D which are thus free toswing into any desired position in accordance with the formation of the ground with which they are in contact. The portions of the shoes that come into contact with the ground may be constituted by pressed steel plates riveted to the other portions of the shoes as shown in Figure 1, and

loo

said portions may be formed with transverse corrugations to increase the adhesion with the ground.

It will be observed that the bosses D, D of the shoes are arranged midway between the sides of the shoes so that the axes of the pivot pins C, C are immediately 1nwardly of the centre of the surfaces of the shoes in order to distribute the pressure of the supporting wheels or rollers between the shoes. The said bosses are rounded so as to constitute driving projections for engagement by the sprocket-wheels for dr1ving the track.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A track for endless track vehicles comprising alternate inner single and other double links connected to ether by ivot pins, thrust plates forme on said mner links, said inner and outer links -forming a path adapted for use with supporting rollers.

2. A track for an endless track vehicle, for use with pairs of laterally separated supporting rollers, comprisin alternate inner single and outer double lin s which are connected together by pivot pins and of which the outer double links are situated laterally apart at a distance corresponding to the lateral separation of the supportin rollers,laterally projecting flanges on sai inner links the inner surfaces of these flanges constituting continuations of the inner surfaces of the outer links, and substantially vertical thrust plates formed on said inner links and situated between the paths of the supporting rollers.

ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON. GEORGE THOMAS BUCKHAM. 

